U.S. safety board to provide update on fatal Air Canada crash at LaGuardia Airport

By Canadian Press on March 24, 2026.

NEW YORK — United States officials are expected to provide another update Tuesday afternoon about their investigation into the fatal collision of an Air Canada plane on a runway at LaGuardia Airport.

Two pilots were killed in the collision with a firefighting truck on the runway Sunday night.

On air traffic control radio, one controller could be heard clearing the vehicle to cross part of the tarmac en route to an emergency on a United Airlines plane — then trying to stop the truck.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the collision. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will also take part in the U.S.-led investigation.

“The hard work now of analyzing the factors that led to this tragic incident has begun and will continue until we get to the bottom of it,” Steve MacKinnon, Canadian transport minister, said in Ottawa.

Speaking to reporters on Monday evening, Jennifer Homendy, chair of the U.S. safety board, described a “tremendous amount of debris” at the scene. She provided few details about initial findings but said the cockpit voice recorder was retrieved undamaged. Homendy said the agency would likely have more details to share at Tuesday’s news conference.

Multiple media outlets have identified one pilot as Antoine Forest, from Coteau-du-Lac, Que., southwest of Montreal, and Toronto college Seneca Polytechnic has named the other pilot as 2023 alumnus Mackenzie Gunther.

Passengers on Flight AC8646 said they felt the pilot slamming on the brakes, causing many to hit the seat in front of them, while a flight attendant was thrown onto the tarmac while still strapped in her seat.

The crash has brought into focus the increasing pressures on air traffic controllers in the United States.